Mr. William (Bill) Plaschke – 1980 BS in Mass Communications

Sports Columnist, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.

Bill Plaschke is a nationally recognized sports writer and commentator. He has been with the Los Angeles Times since 1987 and a columnist with the publication since 1996. Mr. Plaschke was named the Associated Press National Sports Columnist of the Year in 2000, 2004, 2006, and 2007. He has also received national sports columnist of the year honors from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Awards and National Headliners. In 2004, he was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

A regular panelist on ESPN’s “Around the Horn” program, Bill Plaschke is the co-author of books with baseball greats Tommy Lasorda and Dick Williams, and NFL Coach Chuck Knox. His book, American Victory, which tells the story of Olympic wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo, was published in January 2010. Mr. Plaschke has also published collections of his columns. He was voted “Big Brother/Big Sister Man of the Year for Greater Los Angeles,” and received the “Pursuit of Justice Award” from the Los Angeles Women’s Law Center for his coverage of women’s sports. He is a lifetime member of the SIUE Alumni Association and was selected Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 1999. He is also a member of the 2009 SIUE Alumni Hall of Fame.